#14. Restoring dignity, one dish a time.

This jovial middle aged man is Mr Koh Seng Choon, the founder of Dignity Kitchen. 

I bet everyone's blogging about Dignity Kitchen after mr Damien brought us there on Monday for a field trip.

Mr Koh shared about how he started Dignity Kitchen, I am marvelled by how he could share with us his journey so enthusiastically, he must have gone through those slide a bajillion times before us.

I hope that some day, I would be that passionate and crazy to start something of my own.

It is really no easy feat to start something like Dignity Kitchen, of that scale and to manage and sustain it throughout the coming 5 years.

He is 53 this year, has two kids and juggles 4 other jobs. Dignity Kitchen isn't generating much to contribute to his income and with his qualifications (Masters degree in Engineering), he really didn't need to set this up. 

He could have gotten a high paying job and enjoy early retirement, and in his spare time volunteer. Not start this SE and have the burden of being responsible for these physically & mentally challenged individuals on his back.

It was endearing to see how he has created a whole system whereby the disabled people working there could be in a safe and conducive environment. All those special hand gestures, it was all so sweet as if they were an extended family. The idea of these disabled teaching the abled these signs to communicate with them was very powerful. When are we going to realize that a inclusive environment not only means having special services for them? It also means learning how to communicate with them, truly UNDERSTANDING them. When he shared the stories of his employees, I honestly feel that he is someone with lots of strength. Not only physical, but mental. 

Like he mentioned, none of his children are disabled, he doesn't have any obligation whatsoever to start this, and yet, he did. 

I asked Mr Koh if he ever felt like giving up, something I tend to succumb too ever so often when I start projects of my own.  

He replied "All the time" With resignation but it just made him all the more real, and I feel that's why he is so relatable. He's so honest about everything. I think if I was mr Koh (Thank God I'm not..) I would have really lost it a loooooong time ago. But he's so innovative and resilient to see his dream come to pass. Values that I too want to own. 

It's actually incredibly near my house..5 minutes walk away?

Feel kinda guilty that I've never patronised them..not like I didn't know about their existence..

I have done my part of sharing this with friends and family, its nothing much but at least its something! Now my family can eat there when we're lazy to cook hahaha whattt! The food's affordable and really yummy :9

We can't ALL start dignity kitchens. but we can help to spread word about it!

#13. 2013, what's in store?

Hulloa!

Soso, its 2 weeks into 2013 already, so fast...

What do you think this year will bring for the social enterprise arena?

If you can recall (I couldn't :P), PM Lee mentioned in his National Day rally speech on the need to have more social enterprises.

Channel News Asia then conducted a survey to find out Singaporeans awareness towards social enterprises. 

Although the survey size was only a teeny amount of 2000 people, only 13% knew what social enterprises are! That's such a mimy pimy scrap of the whole Singapore population!!

Click HERE to read article.

The survey showed that 87% do not know what a social enterprise is.

and out of the 13% who knew, only 3% could recall social enterprises that they knew..

And then a year passed, on to September 2012!

The Online Citizen reported "Singapore’s growing social entrepreneurship sector is increasingly getting the limelight from government, academia and the media. Yet, not many youths are keen to go into social entrepreneurship."

Click HERE to read the OTHER article.

Although there are no solid statistics to show the spread of awareness, it is comforting to know that in 2012 there was the emergence of more youths educated about the course, more forums, grants and generally, becoming a more talked-about topic.

But are we all talk no action?

What more can we achieve in this new year?

I believe we can start with three measurable goals:

#1.Strive for greater awareness

I believe through COLLABORATION, social enterprises can collectively gain more awareness together. This can be done by organising events, or fairs. OR they could exchange products! Like Joan Bowen Cafe could get coffee from Bettr Barista and cookies from Bakery Hearts. 

#2. Start seeing SEs as equal businesses

If we continue to see SEs as "second class" businesses, they will never be able to grow in strength, in capacity. Even though it may be more difficult for them, it is essential for growth and development. In so, we may be able to have the social enterprise sector taking over the current business sectors.

Dream dream dreammmm~~ 

#3. Be an activist!

‎"If you aren't an activist you're an inactivist." - Richard O'Barry 

As BZSE students, don't ya think we could do the most basic minimum to spread the word?

Better yet, be conscious consumers of social enterprises, supporting this community of change makers. 

So what are ya'll waiting for, start now!

:)

References

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1150901/1/.html

#12. People, Planet, Profit

Hello!

I'm going to share on another smashing most awesome social enterprise called...

31 Bits!

Like Sseko, 31 bits sells lovely products for women, but the catch is they use recycled materials.

All their products have beautiful beads made from recycled paper and its really amazing how well made the products are (even though it sounds like a simple craft project.)

31 bits also seek to empower women, score!! More than a third of their beneficiaries are women stricken with AIDS.

31 Bits' mission is to provide beneficiaries access to the international market so that they are able to earn income, providing food and education for their families. Thus, the skills these Ugandan women owned can be now be matched to the appropriate market.

Like all good programmes, they include literacy education, financial and vocational training providing  holistic care, and strong support systems.

31 bits is actually a platform for women to equip themselves with adequate skills, knowledge and finances till they are able to start up businesses in their communities. Upon graduation, the women should be able to 

1. Converse in basic English
2. Enough skills to manage their personal bank account
3. Understand AIDS & health issues better
4.Start their own businesses successfully

Why I really like 31 Bits:

1. Stellar, wholesome programmes.
Doesn't only take care of the 'technical' matters but they care about their emotional wellbeing as well. Equally important in my opinion because women are emotional creatures ;-) 

2. Involves not only people but the planet as well.
The recycled material used for the beads are actually old movie & advertisement posters. What a innovative way of reusing paper that would most probably be dumped.

3. Acts as a 'platform' // 'catalyst'
31 Bits doesn't really want their beneficiaries to stay with them forever, they hope the ladies would be able to start their own ventures.

4. Really well made and sellable products 

 

SO PRETTY *.*

5. Supports local businesses
Materials are all sourced locally, I guess its the most practical thing to do? But they could have always imported their materials right! 

6. Engages business mentors for each beneficiaries
Serious on developing each individual to their fullest potential. I think 31 Bits is the first SE I've come across that devotes so much attention to each lady. 

7. Hires locals!!!
Their program managers and finance officers are all locals, most women. I think that its really important to do so as locals understand the local cultures the best. 

Watch this video on how 31 Bits started and what they do, SO INSPIRING!!

Ahh sharing about 31 Bits makes me inspired all over again to be part of something like this, to be part of change and to step up and help the communities in need 93 million miles away~

KEY TAKEAWAY:
"Businesses that are both conscious of the creators and the consumers"
Something important to keep at the back of our minds ya!
:-)

References:

http://31bits.com/
https://www.facebook.com/31bits

#11. Get behind, impostor!

The article I'm sharing on today is actually an interview by The Pioneers Post to Social Enterprise UK.

It's quite interesting as they picked some tough questions for them, and in turn received pretty good answers.

CLICK HERE

So who is Social Enterprise UK?

They're made up of private businesses, charities and public sector organisations who support our vision of a world where social enterprise is the usual way of doing business.  

Sooo all these organisations are their members, and these are the services they provide for their members:

• Run effective campaigns for our members and to lobby on the sector's behalf
• Carry out robust and respected research to help paint a picture of the UK's social enterprise movement
• Build networks between social enterprises
• Raise the profile of people and social enterprises in the sector

One of the GREATER and more recent things Social Enterprise UK did was to 

1.Beat corporate giant SalesForce over a misuse of the term “social enterprise”

YEAH.

SalesForce does lots of things, one of their many services includes creating cloud datastorage for 

organisations. Came across SaleForce during internship and got a shock when they called themselves a 

SE. 

2. Played a key role in passing the Social Value Act. 

The act requires public authorities in England and Wales to look at how much ‘social value’ they can add to the community each time they award a contract for delivery of public services. For the first time authorities must look beyond the price of each individual contract and see the wider collective benefit of spending.

I think they're really doing some great things in UK's SE sector, and I believe as the SE sector continues to grow in Singapore, there will be more organisations such as Social Enterprise UK. Social Enterprise SG maybe?

 Some thoughts gleaned from the interview:

1. Many SEs are still reliant on grants.

2. Ultimately, business plans still count for securing fundings.

3.The social sector has lightyears more to push corporate giants out and properly deliver public services 4. The public needs to be convinced that social enterprises are equal and genuine alternatives to businesses.

5. Global connectivity will improve the public understanding and progression of the social enterprise sector.

References

http://www.pioneerspost.com/news/20130110/five-tough-questions-uk-social-enterprise-2013

http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/about

  

#10. Why do we fall?

Got this article off The Guardian.

The article discussed the vulnerability of social enterprises as more charities with SE arms start to close down. 

The example stated in the article was a training kitchen called Hoxton Apprentice, which is kinda like Jamie Oliver's Fifteen. It aims to train the severely unemployed with front and back of house skills, enabling them to find jobs in restaurants and hotels. 

Many graduates managed to move on to greater jobs, securing prestigious positions in Buckingham Palace, Gordon Ramsay and the Hilton. Its success rate is 70%, which is really high actually!

Why then did they fail? 

Hoxton Apprentice offered a 6-month long period of on-the-job training, following the Fifteen model. But while JO's kitchen has been deemed a successful SE, Hoxton Apprentice had to close down,

I believe the crux lies in that both SEs were funded by a charity.

I firmly believe that SEs should be self-funded. Receiving loans are fine, because normal businesses too get loans too, and SEs are businesses; but there should never be handouts.

In the case of Hoxton Apprentice, it was too reliant on its supporting charity-Training for Life. Therefore once the charity ceased to exist, the "SE" had no choice but to close down. In my opinion, such a model doesn't make a SE. SEs should support charities and not the other way around.

Also, Hoxton Apprentice was reliant on funding from then deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, having supplementary finances from the PM also crippled this SE.

Gordon D'Silva, the co-founder of Hoxton Apprentice mentioned that "the changing funding climate had played a part in its demise" I believe that no business can escape from the fluctuation in the spending power of consumers, however, I believe this is something important social entrepreneurs need  to keep at the back of their heads. An SE must never rely on organisations to fund them through these difficulties, they are a business not a charity. 

(aw genial ol' Alfred)

But as the kindly butler Alfred reminds his ward Bruce Wayne:

 "Why do we fall sir? So we might learn to pick ourselves up"

 {BATMAN!!}

Yep! Through all these experience, we can learn how to become better social entrepreneurs!

#9. Its a girl thing.

Hello all!!

 Today I'm going to talk about SSEKO, a social enterprise which is based in Uganda.

I found them a couple of months back while doing a research on some social enterprise ideas. This company really stuck in my head for a couple of reasons:

#1. They make really BEAUTIFUL products.

SSEKO started out making high-quality leather sandals and has since broaden their range of products to bags, clutches and some interesting ethnic-inspired sandal accessories.

#2. SSEKO focuses on empowering women-an issue that is close to my heart

#3. The SSEKO business model shows very clearly how they have identified a gap and filled it.

One of its mission is to

> Provide employment for female students.

SSEKO recognised that many female high school graduates could not go to university due to the lack of funds. And as Uganda is a male-dominated country, the women suffer from the lack of job opportunities. Therefore, during the 9 month period where by high school graduates wait to enrol into university, SSEKO employs these girls in so, giving them a chance to earn money to supplement their university education.

SSEKO not only provides employment, it also creates a savings plan for these girls. Every month, 50% of their salary goes to a saving account which they cannot touch, ensuring that the money remains solely for their studies. By doing so, they remove the pressure from the families, demanding that these girls give their entire salary to the household.

At the end of the 9 months stint, SSEKO would give each girl a scholarship amount which matches 100% of their savings.

{Wouldn't it be nice if there was such social enterprises in Singapore? :B}

>Provide employment opportunities for Ugandan women

As job opportunities are scarce, SSEKO seeks to employ Ugandan women from all walks of life.

SSEKO's upper management team comprises of female university graduates.

SSEKO also works with local NGOs to employ women who have been rescued from the sex-slave industry, giving them dignified jobs and a decent salary.

{As you can see, SSEKO choses to hire locals and work with locals instead of foreigners ^^b)

> Advocates fair trade

SSEKO does not believe in lowering the price of their products to appeal to the mass market, instead, SSEKO would like challenge consumers to make responsible purchases. In doing so, customers will think of the people, efforts and stories that goes into creating the products that they buy.

{Like child-labourers who work on cocoa plantations, do we feel better feigning ignorance to their plights?}

I felt that SSEKO was a very thought out idea and it is essential for budding social entrepreneurs. Many at times social enterprises fail to work because the loop is not closed and that presents the possibility of big problems to occur. 

Actually, it would be a dream for me to be able to intern there, just to be with the ladies and in the system to really understand how it works. The founder Liz is an extremely down-to-earth and open person, I am deeply moved by her story and i hope that some day, I would have the courage and opportunity to venture out of my comfort zone and make changes in areas that I want to.

References:

All pictures from : https://www.facebook.com/ssekodesigns

(do like their page and spread their good work!)